The little metstone is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about the origins of our solar system.
New evidence found in shavings from metstone known as Northwest Africa 12264 – a 50 gram (1.8 ounce) of space rock, thought to have been formed in the outer solar system – suggests that Earth and distant icy rock-like planets could have formed simultaneously. This challenges the longstanding belief that planets close to the Sun in front of the outer solar system that lie beyond the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Planets form within a rotating disk of gas and dust surrounding the young stars. There, particles collide and stick together through a process known as accretion. As rocky planets get hot, they begin to distinguish, forming separate inner layers known as the cores, mantles and crust.
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Scientists thought that the rocky planets inside our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) were first formed (approximately 456.6 billion years ago), but the gas giants and ice bodies of the outer solar system came together slightly later (456.3 billion years ago) due to the cold distance from the sun. The rocky planet was thought to form even more slowly as higher water and ice content slowed the development of the internal heating and core.
Analysis of the composition of metstone composition (purchased from a Moroccan dealer in 2018) revealed the chromium-to-oxygen ratio, indicating that it came from the outer part of the solar system. Using precise isotope dating methods, researchers discovered that the rocks were formed 4.564 billion years ago.
Related: How many metstones collide with Earth each year?
Such early formation was thought to be confined to the body from the inner solar system, according to a statement published a new study.
Evidence that rocky planets beyond Jupiter can quickly form, while at the same time, the inner planets can change our understanding of how planets shape – not only in our solar system, but in our entire universe, researchers said.
Their findings were published on July 4th in Journal Communications Earth & Environment.
This article was originally published on Space.com.
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